The 3 Best Bumper Plates – 2017 Reviews and Top Picks
Whether you’ve been weightlifting for years or are new to the sport, you most likely want to get the best bumper plates. With these rubber-and-metal weights, you can safely perform Olympic weights and maintain (or even increase) your personal record, while minimizing the risks of injuries and property damage.
Unfortunately, choosing the right bumper plates can be difficult, especially if it’s your first time to buy one. We’ve created this guide to help you make the right choice and ensure you get the bumper plate that best fits your needs and preferences.
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Product Summary – Our Top 3 Picks
To find out the best choice, we reviewed three bumper plates:
- Cap Barbell Black Rubber Bumper Plates,
- X Training Equipment Premium Black Bumper Plate, and
- Rep Bumper Plates for CrossFit Workouts and Weightlifting.
Each of these products are made of quality materials and have excellent durability and last for a long time. They also have low bounce, which is an important factor in maintaining athlete safety and avoiding weightlifting injuries.
The Cap Barbell Black Rubber Bumper Plates are partly made of recycled rubber and are an environmentally friendly option. All sizes are offered in pairs, which makes shopping less confusing for buyers.
The X Training Equipment Premium Black Bumper Plate is available in pairs and singles, depending on size. It comes with a warranty that you can claim in case the plate breaks due to a manufacturing defect.
The Rep Bumper Plates for CrossFit Workouts and Weightlifting are available in different sizes and can be bought as a set. The 45-pound plates are thinner than other models to allow users to put more plates on their bars and achieve higher loads.
Reviewers love the durability and solid feel of all three bumper plates, but many of them complain about the strong smell that comes with many of the products. Fortunately, the odor goes away on its own after the plates are aired out.
Product Name | Quality | Price | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
A | $$ | ||
X Training Equipment Premium Black Bumper Plate Solid Rubber with Steel Insert | A | $ | |
A | $$ |
**Below, you'll find our more detailed reviews, but you can also click the links above to see current prices or read customer reviews on Amazon.
Reviews Of The Best Bumper Plates
These bumper plates are made of high-quality rubber, so you’re sure that they can last for years (and that you’ll make the most of your investment) even when you throw them hard on the floor.
They also have a steel inner hub that allows the plates to securely fit to your weightlifting bar while keeping it away from scratches and other types of damage. The hub is designed to withstand high-impact drops without incurring any damage, which further adds to the plates’ durability.
These bumper plates have a cast iron core, which ensures that each plate has a balanced weight. They’re also designed to have a slim and uniform diameter, which allows every impact to be evenly distributed.
The Cap Barbell Black Rubber Bumper plates have low bounce. This means they won’t bounce too much even when you drop them from height and can help you avoid injuries.
The plates are available in four different sizes: 10 lbs, 25 lbs, 35 lbs, and 45 lbs (per plate). They range from around $50 to more than $250 per pair, depending on the size you choose.
Cap Barbell Black Rubber Bumper Plates are designed to be odorless, but some customers point out that the plates still come with a distinctive smell. Fortunately, the odor eventually disappears when the plates are aired out or if they’re washed with soap and water.
Apart from the smell, many users are satisfied with the plates’ sturdiness and love the fact that they’re and well-built and have accurate weight.
Things We Liked:
- The plates have a two-inch hole and can fit standard Olympic bars.
- They’re partly made of recycled rubber, which is great for those who want to reduce their environmental impact.
- They have low bounce compared to other brands of bumper plates.
Things We Didn’t Like:
- Despite being tagged as “odorless”, they still have a distinct smell, although it’s not as strong as other bumper plates and can be easily aired out/washed off.
- The plates are a bit thicker than standard bumper plates. It’s difficult to use interchangeably them with other bumper plate brands.
- They come with a thin coating of oil which might feel too greasy for some people.
According to the manufacturer, this bumper plate is designed and tested by CrossFit and certified Olympic lifting coaches and athletes. This ensures that the plate is durable and well-built.
It comes with a steel insert that’s compatible with standard Olympic bars and has a snug fit. As a result, you don’t have to worry about the plate slipping off your bar and causing an accident.
The X Training Equipment Premium Black Bumper Plate can accommodate any kind of lift and workout of the day, and it’s great for both pure weightlifting and CrossFit exercises. It’s ideal for home gyms but can also be used to supplement existing equipment in commercial gyms.
The plate is available in different sizes. The 15-pound plate has a width of 1.25 inches and can be bought as a pair. The 25-pound plate has a width of 1.8 inches and can also be bought as a pair.
The 35-pound plate, meanwhile, is available as a single plate. It has a width of 2.5 inches.
One of the best things about the X Training Equipment Premium Black Bumper Plate is that it’s designed to have low bounce. The 25-pound and 35-pound plates also come with a warranty in case breakage happens due to manufacturing defects.
Many customers are satisfied with the bumper plate’s quality and durability. However, some complain about the strong smell of the rubber, which eventually goes away in a few days.
Things We Liked:
- The bumper plate has a low bounce.
- It comes with a warranty against manufacturing defects.
- It’s designed to be durable and for various types of workouts.
Things We Didn’t Like:
- It comes with a strong smell that might be too much for some people, although the odor eventually goes away.
- It’s thicker than standard bumper plates, so you’ll find it hard to stack more weights on your bar.
- The 35-pound plate is sold as a single. Those who are shopping in a hurry might not notice this, and they can end up buying just one bumper plate even though they want a pair.
These bumper plates are designed to fit standard Olympic bars that have two-inch sleeves. They are made of solid rubber, and they have steel inserts with hooks that are molded into the plates to keep the inserts in place.
These plates are highly sturdy; in fact, they have been factory-tested to withstand more than 15,000 drops from an eight-foot height! This gives you the assurance that your bumper plates will last for years and can withstand daily use.
They’re also designed to have low bounce, so there’s no need to chase your bar around the room after you’ve dropped it. Of course, more importantly, you can reduce your chances of getting injured.
The Rep Bumper Plates for CrossFit Workouts and Weightlifting are available in different sizes: 10 lbs, 15 lbs, 25 lbs, 35 lbs, and 45 lbs. You can purchase them in pairs or even buy them in sets; the 205-pound set, for example, contains two 10-pound plates, two 25-pound plates, and two 45-pound plates.
The 10-pound plates are extra-thick to make them more durable. The 45-pound plates, meanwhile, are thinner than other brands so you can fit more plates on your bar and achieve a bigger load.
The manufacturer offers a one-year warranty on the 10-pound and 15-pound plates and a three-year warranty on the 25-pound, 35-pound, and 45-pound plates.
Customers who bought and used the plates love their quality and think they give great value for money. They also like the fact that the plates have little to no odor and have minimal bounce.
Things We Liked:
- The plates’ durability and low bounce make them a great investment.
- The warranty can be useful in case the plates become non-functional due to manufacturing defects.
- The relatively thin 45-pound plates allow us to load more plates on our bars and lift more weights.
Things We Didn’t Like:
- The warranty covers less time when the bumper plates are used in a commercial setting. The one-year warranty shortens to six months, while the three-year warranty shortens to 12 months.
- The bumper plates cannot be used together with plates of other brands due to differences in diameters and bounce. You need to buy a whole set to achieve higher loads.
- The 10-pound plates don’t have the same diameter as the other plates, although this doesn’t really affect their performance.
Value Section
Why should you opt for bumper plates, and how can you choose the right product that will give you your money’s worth? We’ll answer these questions below.
Reasons To Choose Bumper Plates
There’s nothing wrong with using steel plates, but bumper plates have a lot more benefits to offer. These include:
- Preventing floor damage — Steel and concrete usually don’t mix well. Bumper plates, which are made of rubber, are friendlier to your floors and won’t cause a lot of damage even when you drop them from height.
- Producing less noise — If you’ve dropped steel plates on a concrete floor, you know just how loud they can get. Bumper plates don’t produce as much noise and allow you to work out without waking your kids up or irritating your neighbors.
- Being similar in diameter — Steel plates have different diameters according to their weight. Bumper plates, meanwhile, have the same diameters regardless of weight, which makes them more uniform and stable.
- Minimizing the risk of injury — Since bumper plates can be dropped from height without damage, you can simply drop them from the overhead position instead of catching their load as they descend. This helps reduce the risks of muscular and/or spinal injury, especially when you’re lifting large loads.
What To Look For In A Bumper Plate
Bumper plates have many makes and models, so it’s important to know how to choose the right product for your needs. We’ve listed some of the factors you should consider when shopping for bumper plates:
- Low bounce — Bouncy bumper plates increase the risk of injuries especially when you’re working out in a small space. Choose plates with the lowest possible bounce to maintain safety at all times.
- Sturdy steel inserts — Make sure your bumper plates have durable and high-quality steel hubs that can withstand heavy use and last for a long time.
- Size of hole — If you’re using a standard Olympic weightlifting bar, make sure that the bumper plates you’re buying have the appropriate hole size. See to it that they have a snug fit; they must be easy to install and shouldn’t slide fall off the bar.
- Width — If you’re planning to lift large loads, choose bumper plates with the smallest possible widths. This way, they won’t take up a lot of space on the bar, and you can stack more plates to achieve your desired load.
Conclusion
It’s a close match among all three products, but we can say that the Rep Bumper Plates for CrossFit Workouts and Weightlifting are the best bumper plates. Their high-quality rubber allows them to withstand frequent drops and help them last for years with proper care.
They also have low bounce which, as mentioned above, helps maintain your safety when you work out. They also have durable steel inserts, which have hooks that are molded into the plates and are designed to withstand heavy use.
These products stand out from the two other models because of their 45-pound plates, which are thinner than average to allow users to fit more plates on their bars. This is good news for professional weightlifters as well as those who simply want to grow stronger since they can easily achieve their desired load with the Rep Bumper Plates for CrossFit Workouts and Weightlifting.
